Gauteng will have bed shortage even after Covid-19 peak, says Makhura

Gauteng premier David Makhura said on Wednesday that hospital CEOs in the province were working around the clock to ensure there are enough beds in hospitals, as the province sees a surge in Covid-19 infections.

The premier was speaking during a vaccination drive in Riverside, Diepsloot, where he warned that the shortage of beds could persist even after the peak of infections. 

“Even if we reach the peak in terms of infections, hospitalisations are going to continue to be a very big problem, because more people who have been infected so far are going to continue to get into our hospitals, so we're doing everything there.

“We've been clearing a number of beds in our hospitals to ensure that there is space for those who need Covid-19 treatment. Our hospital CEOs have been doing a great job to create additional capacity,” said Makhura. 

The premier said the province would ramp up its vaccination rollout and enforcement of compliance in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus. 

Gauteng had 10,538 new infections in the latest 24-hour cycle.

Makhura said the recent stats had a significant impact on the health system.

“We will reach the peak pretty soon. The numbers we hit on Saturday of 16,000 had a very shocking impact on all of us in terms of daily infections. By yesterday [Tuesday], the daily average we reached was double what the daily average was in the second wave.”

The premier urged all eligible citizens to get vaccinated.